Hip-Hop is a musical genre that originated from the 1970s with the predominantly black, economically depressed South Bronx section of New York City. It is mainly rap with electronic backing and beats that contain more base than its indie foil. Hip-Hop has changed with the times to fit the audience as well as events of the social world, as rappers have been known to speak up on social issues. Dating back to NWA, rappers are not known to stray away from social issues that they deem important and that trend has continued up until today. In the 2000s, Hip-Hop music became a fairly popular genre, producing artists like 50 Cent, Beyonce, Eminem and in the 2010s, more artists started coming onto the scene like Post Malone, Meek Mill, Cardi B.While many people argue over which era of music is better, each decade has its own unique aspects that set them apart from each other.


2000s Hip-Hop

     The 2000s was an era that defined the Hip-Hop music genre and was considered Hip-Hop’s golden age. From songs like “Get Ur Freak On” (2001) by Missy Elliott to “The Real Slim Shady” (2000) by Eminem, the Hip-Hop genre has come out with many hits during this time, many of which are still popular today. “In Da Club” (2003) by 50 Cent is a great example of a song that is good to dance to and also a song that is not extremely explicit about loving women. Hip-Hop in the 2000s were hits and while they are now seen as throwbacks, they were songs that were not centered around explicit moments with women, but instead, promoted good personal welfare or they were good songs to dance to.


2010s Hip-Hop

   In the 2010s, Hip-Hop and rap seemed to combine together as a joint genre instead of genres that were different. The 2000s launched many artists into stardom which continued in the 2010s. Artists like these include Drake, who came out with the song “Over” in 2010, which is a great representation of what most Hip-Hop songs in this decade were about. In “Over,” Drake spoke about his introduction to fame and the beginning of his career where he constantly finds new faces around him. Then, there were songs like “Pills N Potions” (2014) by Nicki Minaj, which were about love and relationships. Another popular idea blossoming in the 2010s include songs that promoted having a good time like “All The Way Turnt Up” (2010) by Roscoe Dash and Soulja Boy. The 2010s were defined by how different Hip-Hop music was from the decade before with songs growing to be more in tune with the emotions that they are feeling at that moment.


Present Day Hip-Hop

Since the 2020s just started, it will mostly be defined by the music that has become popular over the last year leading up to the 2020s. Most of the songs in this era of music talk about the explicit side of loving a person, rough surroundings, guns, drugs and all of the nitty-gritty that comes with a hard life. NLE Choppa’s “BIRDBOY” (2019) is a good example of a song that talks about a gang-related life as he constantly raps about guns and bullets. Similarly, in “The Box” (2019) by Roddy Rich, Rich raps about violence referencing a “box” or a detachable box magazine. Both of these songs represent the modern trends in hip hop such as guns and violence, that often turn listeners away from the genre.


     Overall, it is shown that throughout the years, Hip-Hop has changed and the general population who listens to it has adapted to its liking as usually younger generations are listeners. Whether they prefer older rap such as 50 Cent or today’s NLE Choppa, Hip-Hop has left a mark on the majority who have listened to it.